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David B. Menkes, MD, PhD, is professor and Gary
P. Slegg, MSc, is research fellow in the section of psychological
medicine at Wrexham Medical Institute Academic Unit, Technology
Park, Wrexham LL13 7YP
Nicola F. Roe, BSc, MRPharmS, is pharmacy service development
manager at Rowlands Chemists
Correspondence to Professor Menkes
e-mail menkes@doctors.org.uk |
Abstract
Aim
To find out whether individuals treating themselves with OTC sleep aids suffered symptoms of anxiety and depression, and whether they were willing to accept onward referral.
Design
Questionnaire survey.
Subjects and setting
456 community pharmacy customers in North East Wales, including all purchasers
of OTC sleep aids in 13 pharmacies; a comparison group was drawn from a
subset of customers purchasing other products.
Results
Most pharmacy customers were willing to be surveyed anonymously about psychological
symptoms and would accept referral for medical help if necessary. Purchasers
of sleep aids, estimated to be 2.3% of total customers, were more likely
to report significant depression (16% with a Hospital Anxiety and Depression
Scale >10) than controls (6%, P=0.004) and less likely to be currently
taking antidepressants.
Conclusion
Our results are consistent with epidemiological evidence of substantial
anxiety and depression in the community, and suggest that community pharmacies
can provide a useful venue to screen for these disorders. There appears
to be little justification for specifically targeting sleep aid purchasers
in this regard.
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal